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Above: Ana Mendoza received her federal ID card under the DACA program.

SAN DIEGO  Since she was 2 years old, Ana Mendoza, an undocumented immigrant, has lived in fear of the federal government.

But the 24-year-old applied for President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program a week after the government started accepting applications in August. The program exempts from deportation many young undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children and allows them to get jobs.